Translation · Urdu
Urdu translation services
Audiovisual translation is our specialisation, but our native Urdu translators also translate any text — corporate documents, technical and marketing material, articles and eLearning. Urdu is read in nastaliq, and nothing in the text itself will make that happen.
EN · 00:05
Urdu
UR · 00:05
اردو
About Urdu translation
Urdu translation delivered with the typesetting decided, not left to the template
Urdu is written in the Arabic script, but Urdu readers expect nastaliq, where the words cascade down and to the left. That style is not in the characters. It comes from the font, and the underlying code points are the same ones an Arabic naskh font would set.
This has a practical consequence that catches projects late. Browsers still have no reliable way to ask for a nastaliq fallback — the CSS property exists but is not supported — and nastaliq needs considerably more line height than most scripts. Deliver Urdu into a template built for Latin text and it comes out in the wrong style, too tight, and looking foreign to the audience it was made for.
At GoLocalise, we work with native Urdu translators matched to the subject matter, and every text is reviewed by a second linguist before delivery.
How can we help you?
Your project manager has everything covered
One point of contact from brief to delivery, and a second linguist on every text before it reaches you.
Brief review
We review your source material and your audience, and agree up front the decisions this language forces before anyone starts translating.
Linguist assignment
Your project goes to a native Urdu translator with experience in the relevant field.
Translation and review
The text is translated and then checked by a second native linguist for accuracy, consistency, and register.
Delivery and consistency check
Files are delivered in the format you need, with the choices agreed at the brief applied consistently from the first line to the last.
Regional varieties
Pakistan, India and the diaspora
Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and one of the scheduled languages of India, and for most commercial material a single Urdu version serves both alongside the diaspora audience.
What varies more than the wording is how it is set. Digits are the clearest case: Urdu uses its own set, different from the ones used for Arabic, and a template that substitutes them silently is a defect a reader spots immediately.
Areas of expertise
What we specialise in
From corporate video and eLearning to documentary, advertising and subtitles — always audiovisual, with Urdu nastaliq and line height settled before anything reaches layout.
Corporate and brand video
Company films and internal communications, written to fit the shot rather than overflow it.
eLearning and training video
Course modules and training films, with terminology kept consistent across the programme.
Documentary and interviews
Factual programming and interviews, where the register shifts between speakers and has to survive the move.
Advertising and social video
Campaigns and short-form video, cut to land inside the time available.
Subtitles and captions
Frame-accurate subtitles kept within a comfortable reading speed.
Voice over and dubbing scripts
Scripts timed to the original, ready for a native voice in the booth.
Built for video and audio
Getting Urdu right on screen
Urdu brings its own on-screen considerations, and most of them are decided in the template rather than in the translation.
Nastaliq comes from the font
The characters are the same ones a naskh font would set. Without a nastaliq font specified, the text renders in a style Urdu readers do not read comfortably.
Line height, not default
Nastaliq cascades down as it runs, so it needs noticeably more room between lines than a Latin template allows. It is agreed at the brief, not patched at proof.
Urdu digits, not Arabic ones
Urdu has its own digit forms. A template that swaps them for the Arabic set produces text that reads as someone else's language.
Timed, not dumped
We deliver spotted subtitle files and two-column voice-over scripts timed to the original — never a loose document that still needs spotting.
Deliverables
How your Urdu translation arrives
Subtitle files
SRT, VTT, STL or TTML, burnt in or as separate files, ready to drop into your edit.
Typesetting agreed with the file
Font and line height are settled alongside the translation, so the delivered Urdu arrives in the style its readers expect.
Dual-column scripts
Source and target side by side with timecodes, the format the studio records from.
Reviewed, never single-pass
Every script is checked by a second native linguist before it reaches the studio.
Translation rates
Professional Urdu translation
For internal documents, correspondence and material where accuracy is the main requirement.
- Native subject-matter translator
- Second-linguist review
- Subtitle files or a timed script
For marketing, eLearning and technical content, with review, terminology management and layout adjustment.
- Everything in Standard
- Terminology management
- Layout and expansion handled
- Dedicated project manager
Every project is quoted individually and backed by our Price Match Promise. Send us your files for an exact, no-obligation quote.
Trusted by global brands
We have used GoLocalise on a regular basis for projects in a number of languages. The service we receive is great. The team is always friendly and professional. The voiceovers we receive are of a very high quality and the turnaround is extremely quick. We are very happy to recommend GoLocalise to other businesses.
It was a pleasure to work with David and the team at GoLocalise. David gave me lots of help and advice, guiding me through my first subtitling project. He really knows his stuff! The experience was completely pain-free. I would not hesitate to recommend GoLocalise – outstanding work at a good price.
They're reliable, adaptive and obsessed with quality. And while you can never be 100% guaranteed of perfection, you can be sure GoLocalise will go the extra mile to get it right every time. We've worked with them now for over 5 years and we are truly thankful to have such a strong localisation partner for our business.
Related services
The rest of your Urdu project
Urdu voice over
Native Urdu voice actors, recorded in broadcast-quality studios.
Learn moreUrdu subtitling
Frame-accurate subtitles and captions, burnt in or as separate files.
Learn moreAll translation services
Our full audiovisual translation offer across 100+ languages.
Learn moreUrdu transcription
Verbatim or clean-read transcripts, with timecodes and speaker labels.
Learn moreAudiovisual translation in 100+ languages
Native translators for subtitles, voice over and any content. Browse another language, or ask us about yours.
Most common questions
How much does Urdu translation cost?
Urdu translation is priced per word for text and per minute for audiovisual, varying with volume, subject and turnaround. Send your files for a free, itemised quote, backed by our Price Match Promise.
Are your Urdu translations done by native linguists?
Yes. Native Urdu linguists translate and a second reviews every text, so it reads naturally and is set the way its readers expect.
Do you provide Urdu subtitling and voice over as well?
Yes — Urdu translation, subtitling and voice over from one team, with the same typesetting decisions applied across all three.
Our Urdu text looks like Arabic. What went wrong?
Almost certainly the font. Urdu readers expect nastaliq, and that style comes from the font rather than from the characters, which are the same ones an Arabic naskh font would set. If no nastaliq font is specified, the text falls back to whatever the system has and looks foreign.
Can the browser not just pick a nastaliq font?
Not reliably. There is currently no dependable way to tell a browser to fall back to nastaliq: the CSS mechanism is defined but not yet supported by the engines. In practice the font has to be specified and shipped, which is a decision for the template rather than for the translation.
Why does Urdu need more line spacing?
Because nastaliq runs downwards as well as along the line, so words occupy more vertical room than a Latin template expects. Our source describes it as needing considerably more line height, without naming a figure, so we agree the setting with your designer instead of quoting a number we cannot support.
Do you handle the digits?
Yes. Urdu has its own digit forms, distinct from the Arabic ones, and we check the delivered file keeps them rather than letting a template substitute them silently.
Do you deliver Urdu subtitles and voice-over scripts, not just documents?
Yes — audiovisual is our specialisation. We deliver spotted SRT/VTT and timed two-column voice-over scripts, plus translated text when you need it.
How quickly can an Urdu translation project be delivered?
Most short documents are delivered within 24 to 48 hours. Word count, subject complexity and turnaround all move the date, and your project manager will confirm the timeline at the start.
Ready to start your Urdu translation project?
Send us your documents, script or video and we'll come back with an exact, itemised quote.
Professional voice over services for your audio and video productions
Voice over
- State-of-the-art studios
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Translation
- 100+ languages covered
- Tailored to your needs
- Stringent quality control
- Dedicated project managers
Subtitling
- Experienced subtitlers
- Industry-standard software
- Burn-in and graphic editing
- Open and closed captions
Transcription
- Improve accessibility
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